U.S. patent number 9,454,176 [Application Number 14/720,727] was granted by the patent office on 2016-09-27 for pedal operating apparatus of vehicle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KYUNG CHANG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KYUNG CHANG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Jong Hee Han, Eun Sik Kim.
United States Patent |
9,454,176 |
Kim , et al. |
September 27, 2016 |
Pedal operating apparatus of vehicle
Abstract
A pedal operating apparatus for a vehicle includes a pedal
member fixed to a vehicle body panel, having a hinge shaft provided
at a back end thereof, and having a height controller above the
hinge shaft. A pedal arm has an upper end rotatably installed at
the hinge shaft of the pedal member, the upper end being provided
with a protrusion protruding forward. A pedal effort controller is
configured to include an elastic member rotatably installed at a
front portion of the pedal arm. A switching member extends and is
bent downwardly from the elastic member. The switching member has
the bent portion contacted to the height controller. The pedal
effort controller presses the protrusion downwardly through the
switching member with an elastic force at an initial position of
the pedal arm, and pushes the protrusion upward.
Inventors: |
Kim; Eun Sik (Gwangmyeong-Si,
KR), Han; Jong Hee (Gyeongsangbuk-Do, KR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
KYUNG CHANG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. |
Seoul
Daegu |
N/A
N/A |
KR
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY (Seoul,
KR)
KYUNG CHANG INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD. (Daegu, KR)
|
Family
ID: |
56023684 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/720,727 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2015 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20160160965 A1 |
Jun 9, 2016 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
|
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Dec 3, 2014 [KR] |
|
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10-2014-0172253 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05G
1/46 (20130101); G05G 5/05 (20130101); G05G
1/30 (20130101); G05G 1/44 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G05G
1/30 (20080401); G05G 1/46 (20080401) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
2967270 |
|
May 2012 |
|
FR |
|
04-216113 |
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Aug 1992 |
|
JP |
|
09-315174 |
|
Dec 1997 |
|
JP |
|
2007-320518 |
|
Dec 2007 |
|
JP |
|
2014-065456 |
|
Apr 2014 |
|
JP |
|
10-1998-0046623 |
|
Sep 1998 |
|
KR |
|
10-2005-0046132 |
|
May 2005 |
|
KR |
|
10-0820241 |
|
Apr 2008 |
|
KR |
|
10-0851323 |
|
Aug 2008 |
|
KR |
|
10-1438964 |
|
Sep 2014 |
|
KR |
|
Other References
Korean Notice of Allowance dated Mar. 2, 2016 issued in
corresponding Korean patent application No. 10-2014-0172253. cited
by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Rogers; Adam D
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A pedal operating apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a pedal
member configured to be fixed to a vehicle body panel, have a hinge
shaft provided at a back end thereof, and be provided with a height
controller above the hinge shaft; a pedal arm configured with an
upper end rotatably installed at the hinge shaft of the pedal
member, the upper end being provided with a protrusion protruding
forward; and a pedal effort controller configured with an elastic
member rotatably installed at a front portion of the pedal arm in
the pedal member and having a length elastically changeable, and a
switching member extending and bent downwardly from the elastic
member to be connected to the protrusion of the pedal arm and
having a bent portion contacting the height controller to be
supported thereby, the pedal effort controller pressing the
protrusion downwardly through the switching member by elastic force
of the elastic member at an initial position of the pedal arm and
pushing the protrusion upward by rotating along with the protrusion
when the pedal arm is rotating.
2. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein
the protrusion of the pedal arm protrudes upward forwardly based on
the hinge shaft.
3. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein
an upper end of the pedal member is provided with an insertion
groove in which the height controller is installed, the height
controller being coupled by penetrating the insertion groove from
an upper portion of the pedal member, and a lower end thereof
extending downwardly after penetrating the insertion groove
contacts the switching member of the pedal effort controller.
4. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 3, wherein
the height controller is configured with a bolting part which is
screw-coupled with the insertion groove and a nut part which fixes
the bolting part to the upper end of the pedal member and a lower
end of the bolting part contacts the bent portion of the switching
member.
5. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 4, wherein
the lower end of the bolting part is coupled with a pin member
which extends horizontally and surface-contacts the bent portion of
the switching member.
6. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 3, wherein
the insertion groove of the pedal member is formed to extend
forwardly such that the height controller is separated
forwardly.
7. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 3, wherein
the vehicle body panel is configured with a dash panel and a cowl
panel positioned thereon, the pedal member is at the dash panel in
the vehicle body panel, and the height controller is at the cowl
panel to be coupled with the insertion groove of the pedal
member.
8. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein
the hinge shaft of the pedal arm is provided with an elastic body
which has one end fixed to the pedal member and another end
connected to a back end of the pedal arm to impart elastic force to
enable the pedal arm to rotate forwardly.
9. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein
the elastic member of the pedal effort controller is configured to
include a first extension rotatably installed to the pedal member
and a second extension which elastically moves when inserted into
the first extension, and the switching member is rotatably
connected to the second extension and extends to be bent downwardly
in an arc shape and then is rotatably connected to the protrusion
of the pedal arm.
10. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 9, wherein
the first extension is formed of a cylinder, the second extension
is formed of a rod moving with being inserted into the cylinder,
and an elastic spring is provided to enclose the first extension
and the second extension to elastically move the second
extension.
11. The pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of claim 1, wherein
as the elastic member is positioned below the hinge shaft of the
pedal arm in the pedal member and the switching member is connected
to the protrusion of the pedal arm, the pedal effort controller is
positioned above the hinge shaft.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims priority to Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2014-0172253, filed Dec. 3, 2014, the entire
contents of which is incorporated herein by reference for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a pedal operating apparatus for a
vehicle, capable of reducing pedal effort o.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a clutch is installed between the flywheel and an input
shaft of a transmission to control transfer of power from an engine
to the transmission. That is, the clutch serves to cut off the
connection between the transmission and engine at the time of first
starting the vehicle, or shifting a gear of the transmission and
slowly connect the transmission to the engine at the time of moving
the vehicle by engine power.
In particular, in the case of a manual transmission, a shift lever
needs to be operated so as to prevent the power of the engine from
being transferred to the transmission at the time of shifting the
gear. To this end, a driver steps on a clutch pedal to control
application of the power of the engine to the transmission.
The driver steps on the clutch pedal to prevent the power of the
engine from being transferred to the transmission, and then
operates the shift lever to shift the gear. Thereafter, when the
driver takes his/her foot off the clutch pedal, the clutch pedal
returns to its original position by oil pressure from a master
cylinder.
Since the driver steps on the clutch pedal with a stronger force
than the returning force of the clutch pedal, if the driver drives
a vehicle for a long period of time under the driving conditions
that he/she needs to frequently shift gears, the driver's leg which
is stepping on the clutch may become strained.
The matters described as the related art have been provided only
for assisting in the understanding for the background of the
present invention and should not be considered as corresponding to
the related art known to those skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
An object of the present invention is to provide a pedal operating
apparatus for a vehicle, capable of reducing driver's fatigue
during pedal use by reducing pedal effort when he/she operates the
pedal.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a pedal operating apparatus for a vehicle,
including: a pedal member configured to be fixed to a vehicle body
panel, have a hinge shaft provided at a back end thereof, and be
provided with a height controller above the hinge shaft; a pedal
arm configured to have an upper end rotatably installed at the
hinge shaft of the pedal member, the upper end being provided with
a protrusion protruding forward; and a pedal effort controller
configured to include an elastic member rotatably installed at a
front portion of the pedal arm in the pedal member and having a
length elastically changed and a switching member extending while
being bent downwardly from the elastic member to be connected to
the protrusion of the pedal arm and having the bent portion
contacted to the height controller to be supported thereby, The
pedal effort controller presses the protrusion downwardly through
the switching member with an elastic force of the elastic member at
an initial position of the pedal arm and pushes the protrusion
upward by rotating along with the protrusion at the time of
rotating the pedal arm.
The protrusion of the pedal arm may protrude upward, forward based
on the hinge shaft.
The upper end of the pedal member may be provided with an insertion
groove in which the height controller is installed, the height
controller may be coupled by penetrating the insertion groove from
the upper portion of the pedal member, and the lower end thereof
extending downwardly after penetrating the insertion groove may
contact the switching member of the pedal effort controller.
The height controller may be configured to have a bolting part
which is screw-coupled with the insertion groove and a nut part
which fixes the bolting part to the upper end of the pedal member,
and the lower end of the bolting part may contact the bent portion
of the switching member.
The lower end of the bolting part may be coupled with a pin member
which extends horizontally and may surface-contact the bent portion
of the switching member.
The insertion groove of the pedal member may be formed to extend
forwardly and thus the height control means may be separated
forwardly.
The vehicle body panel may be configured with a dash panel and a
cowl panel positioned thereon, the pedal member may be installed at
the dash panel in the vehicle body panel, and the height controller
may be installed at the cowl panel to be coupled with the insertion
groove of the pedal member.
The hinge shaft of the pedal arm may be provided with an elastic
body which has one end fixed to the pedal member and the other end
connected to the back end of the pedal arm to impart the elastic
force so as to let the pedal arm rotate forwardly.
The elastic member of the pedal effort control means may be
configured to include a first extension rotatably installed to the
pedal member and a second extension which elastically moves when
inserted into the first extension, and the switching member may be
rotatably connected to the second extension and may extend so as to
be bent downwardly in an arc shape and then may be rotatably
connected to the protrusion of the pedal arm.
The first extension may be formed of a cylinder, the second
extension may be formed of a rod moving when inserted into the
cylinder, and an elastic spring may be provided to enclose the
first extension and the second extension to elastically move the
second extension.
As the elastic member is positioned below the hinge shaft of the
pedal arm in the pedal member and the switching member is connected
to the protrusion of the pedal arm, the pedal effort controller may
be positioned above the hinge shaft.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will be more clearly understood from the following
detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pedal operating
apparatus of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the pedal operating apparatus of
a vehicle of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an assembling view illustrating the pedal operating
apparatus of a vehicle of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4 to 6 are diagrams for describing the pedal operating
apparatus of a vehicle of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 7 to 9 are diagrams illustrating an operation of the pedal
operating apparatus of a vehicle of FIG. 1 at the time of a vehicle
collision; and
FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing the pedal operating apparatus
of a vehicle of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Hereinafter, a pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle according to
exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pedal operating
apparatus of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the pedal
operating apparatus of a vehicle of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an assembling
view illustrating the pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle of
FIG. 1, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are diagrams for describing the pedal
operating apparatus of a vehicle of FIG. 1.
In the following description of the present invention, a rotating
direction of a pedal by stepping on the pedal is set to be a
forward direction and a returning direction of the pedal is set to
be a backward direction.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pedal operating apparatus of a
vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention includes: a pedal member 100 configured to be fixed to a
vehicle body panel 10, have a hinge shaft 120 provided at a back
end thereof, and be provided with a height controller 140 above the
hinge shaft 120; a pedal arm 200 configured to have an upper end
rotatably installed at the hinge shaft 120 of the pedal member 100,
in which the upper end is provided with a protrusion 220 protruding
forward; and a pedal effort controller 300 configured to include an
elastic member 320 rotatably installed at a front portion of the
pedal arm 200 in the pedal member 100 and having a length
elastically changed, and a switching member 340 extending and being
bent downwardly from the elastic member 320 to be connected to the
protrusion 220 of the pedal arm 200 and having the bent portion
contacting the height controller 140 to be supported thereby, in
which the pedal effort controller 300 presses the protrusion 220
downwardly through the switching member 340 with the elastic force
of the elastic member 320 at an initial position of the pedal arm
200, and pushes the protrusion 220 upward by rotating along with
the protrusion 220 at the time of rotating the pedal arm 200.
That is, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the upper end of the pedal arm 200 is rotatably
installed in the pedal member 100 through the hinge shaft 120 and
the pedal effort controller 300 is rotatably installed to be
adjacent to the upper end of the pedal arm 200.
In particular, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the upper end of the pedal arm 200 is provided with the
protrusion 220 protruding forwardly and is configured to be
connected to the switching member 340 of the pedal effort
controller 300. Here, the pedal effort controller 300 is provided
with the elastic member 320 rotatably installed at the front
portion of the upper end of the pedal arm 200 in the pedal member
100 and is configured to have the length elastically changed.
Further, the switching member 340 of the pedal effort controller
300 extends with bent downwardly from the elastic member 320 to be
connected to the protrusion 220 of the pedal arm 200, in which the
bent portion contacts the height controller 140 provided at the
pedal member 100 to be supported thereby.
As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the elastic member 320 of
the pedal effort controller 300 is elastically stretched to push
the switching member 340 backward. In this configuration, the
switching member 340 of the pedal effort controller 300 is formed
to be bent downwardly, and upward movement thereof is limited by
the height controller 140 provided at the pedal member 100. Thus,
the switching member 340 rotates downwardly in the bent direction.
As a result, the switching member 340 of the pedal effort
controller 300 presses the protrusion 220 of the pedal arm 200
downwardly by the elastic force of the elastic member 320, and a
lower end of the pedal arm 200 is applied with a returning force
rotating in a backward direction which is an opposite direction
thereto based on the hinge shaft 120.
In this state, when the pedal arm 200 rotates by being stepped on,
the upper end of the pedal arm 200 rotates based on the hinge shaft
120, and thus the protrusion 220 rotates and the switching member
340 of the pedal effort controller 300 connected to the protrusion
220 rotates together. In this case, the upward movement of the
switching member 340 is limited by the height controller 140 and
thus rotates downwardly forwardly and presses the elastic member
320. Here, when the pedal arm 200 rotates by a predetermined amount
or more, as the pedal effort controller 300 further rotates with
it, a direction in which the switching member 340 is bent, lying
down, is positioned over the hinge shaft 120 to push the protrusion
220 upwardly with the elastic force of the elastic member 320. As a
result, the lower end of the pedal arm 200 is applied with an
operating force to rotate forwardly based on the hinge shaft
120.
As such, the pedal effort controller 300 presses the protrusion 220
of the pedal arm 200 at the initial position of the pedal arm 200
to prevent the pedal arm 200 from rotating or provide the returning
force, and when the pedal arm 200 is stepped on and thus rotates,
the pedal effort controller 300 pushes the protrusion 220 of the
pedal arm 200 upward to apply the operating force to enable the
pedal arm 200 to rotate forward.
Describing in detail the pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle
according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention to
apply the returning force and the operating force to the pedal arm
200, the protrusion 220 of the pedal arm 200 may protrude upward
forwardly based on the hinge shaft 120.
As such, the protrusion 220 protrudes upward, forwardly from the
upper end of the pedal arm 200, and when the switching member 340
of the pedal effort controller 300 is operated to press the
protrusion 220 downwardly or push the protrusion 220 backward, the
pedal arm 200 may smoothly rotate based on the hinge shaft 120 in
response to the operation.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 10, the elastic member 320
of the pedal effort controller 300 may be configured to include a
first extension 322 which is rotatably installed to the pedal
member 100 and a second extension 324 which elastically moves when
inserted into the first extension 322.
In this configuration, the first extension 322 is formed of a
cylinder, the second extension 324 is formed of a rod moving when
inserted into the cylinder, and an elastic spring 326 may be
provided to enclose the first extension 322 and the second
extension 324 to elastically move the second extension 324.
As such, the elastic member 320 of the pedal effort controller 300
is configured of the first extension 322 which is the cylinder and
the second extension 324 which is the rod to move the second
extension 324 from the first extension 322, in which the second
extension 324 is configured to move by being applied with the
elastic force of the elastic spring 326.Thus, when the second
extension 324 moves from the first extension 322 by force of the
elastic spring 326, the operating force or the returning force is
applied to the pedal arm 200.
The switching member 340 connected to the elastic member 320 of the
pedal effort controller 300 is rotatably connected to the second
extension 324 and extends to be bent downwardly in an arc shape,
and then may be rotatably connected to the protrusion 220 of the
pedal arm 200. That is, the switching member 340 is configured to
move by being pushed as soon as the second extension 324 moves by
the elastic spring 326. However, the switching member 340 is formed
to be bent downwardly in an arc shape, and an upper surface of the
bent portion thereof contacts the height controller 140 to be
supported thereby so that the elastic force transferred from the
elastic spring 326 is transferred when switched in a downwardly
bent direction.
As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the direction of the elastic
force transferred backward from the elastic member 320 of the pedal
effort controller 300 is switched downwardly, thereby applying the
returning force pressing the protrusion 220 of the pedal arm 200.
Here, when the pedal arm 200 rotates and thus the switching member
340 of the pedal effort controller 300 rotates together, as
illustrated in FIG. 6, the direction of the elastic force being
transferred forward as it is, thereby applying the operating force
rotating the pedal arm 200 forward.
In more detail, as one end of the elastic member 320 is positioned
below the hinge shaft 120 of the pedal arm 200 in the pedal member
100 and the other end of the switching member 340 is connected to
the protrusion 220 of the pedal arm 200, the pedal effort
controller 300 may be positioned above the hinge shaft 120. Here,
the other end of the elastic member 320 and one end of the
switching member 340 may be hinged to each other to mutually
rotate.
As a result, the switching member 340 of the pedal effort
controller 300 is applied with the elastic force of the elastic
member 320 in the initial state of the pedal arm 200 to press the
protrusion 220 of the pedal arm 200, thereby applying the returning
force. As the pedal arm 200 stepwise rotates, the switching member
340 of the pedal effort controller 300 may push the protrusion 220
of the pedal arm 200 forward to apply the operating force.
Describing this with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, as point A at which
the elastic member 320 of the pedal effort controller 300 is
installed at the pedal member 100 is positioned below a point B at
which the switching member 340 is connected to the protrusion 220
of the pedal arm 200. The switching member 340 is formed to be bent
in an arc shape, and the bent portion of the switching member 340
is configured to contact the height controller 140. A point at
which the bent portion contacts the height controller 140 is C of
the drawing and a point at which the elastic member 320 of the
pedal effort controller 300 is connected to the switching member
340 is D.
That is, as illustrated in FIG. 4, at the initial time when the
pedal arm 200 does not rotate, the point D at which the elastic
member 320 of the pedal effort controller 300 is connected to the
switching member 340 is positioned above a virtual line E on a
straight line which connects the point A at which the elastic
member 320 of the pedal effort controller 300 is installed at the
pedal member 100 to the point C at which the bent portion of the
switching member 340 contacts the height controller 140. In this
case, the switching member 340 is configured to be pushed forward
by the elastic force of the elastic member 320, but the pedal
effort controller 300 contacts the height controller 140 and thus
the upward movement thereof is limited to rotate downwardly along
the bent shape, thereby pressing the protrusion 220 of the pedal
arm 200. Therefore, the pedal arm 200 is applied with the returning
force which causes the lower end thereof to rotate forward.
Here, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the pedal arm 200 is stepped
and thus rotates, the pedal effort controller 300 rotates with it,
and as a result, the point D at which the elastic member 320 of the
pedal effort controller 300 is connected to the switching member
340 is positioned above the virtual line E on a straight line which
connects the point A at which the elastic member 320 of the pedal
effort controller 300 is installed at the pedal member 100 to the
point C at which the bent portion of the switching member 340
contacts the height controller 140. In this case, as the switching
member 340 of the pedal effort controller 300 is supported by the
height controller 140, the switching member 340 rotates forwardly
to elastically press the elastic member 320.
Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the pedal arm 200 is stepped
by a predetermined amount or more and thus rotates, the point D at
which the elastic member 320 of the pedal effort controller 300 is
connected to the switching member 340 is positioned below the
virtual line E on the straight line which connects the point A at
which the elastic member 320 of the pedal effort controller 300 is
installed at the pedal member 100 to the point C at which the bent
portion of the switching member 340 contacts the height controller
140. Therefore, the switching member 340 of the pedal effort
controller 300 heads for the front portion and is applied with the
elastic force from the elastic member 320 to move forwardly,
thereby applying the operating force pushing the protrusion 220 of
the pedal arm 200 backwards. By doing so, as the upper end of the
pedal arm 200 rotates backwards, the lower end rotates forward and
the operating force is applied along with the stepping-on-force
applied to the pedal arm 200, such that pedal effort may be reduced
during operation of the pedal.
By doing so, it is possible to reduce a driver's fatigue during
extended driving by reducing pedal effort, and to save
manufacturing cost by simplifying structure.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the upper end of the pedal
member 100 is provided with an insertion groove 160 in which the
height controller 140 is installed. The height controller 140 is
coupled by penetrating the insertion groove 160 from the upper
portion of the pedal member 100, and the lower end thereof
extending downwardly after penetrating the insertion groove 160 may
contact the switching member 340 of the pedal effort controller
300.
By doing so, the height controller 140 which is inserted into the
insertion groove 160 in the pedal member 100, is configured to have
the lower end contacting the switching member 340 of the pedal
effort controller 300 to limit the upward movement of the switching
member 340. The insertion groove 160 formed in the pedal member 100
may be formed to be positioned above the switching member 340, and
the height controller 140 is installed so that the state in which
the lower end contacts the switching member 340 is maintained to
support the upward movement of the switching member 340. Thereby
the height controller 140 smoothly rotates forwards or backwards
along the bent shape.
The height controller 140 is configured of a bolting part 142 which
is screw-coupled with the insertion groove 160 and a nut part 144
which fixes the bolting part 142 to the upper end of the pedal
member 100, and the lower end of the bolting part 142 may contact
the bent portion of the switching member 340.
By doing so, the height controller 140 is configured of the bolting
part 142 and the nut part 144. As a result, the bolting part 142 is
inserted into the insertion groove 160 of the pedal member 100 and
then is fixed by the nut part 144, such that the height controller
140 may be firmly installed to the pedal member 100.
In particular, the bolting part 142 of the height controller 140 is
screw-coupled with the insertion groove 160 of the pedal member
100, and thus the height of the bolting part 142 may be vertically
controlled by screw rotation, thereby easily controlling pedal
effort.
That is, when the position of the bolting part 142 is controlled
downwardly in the pedal member 100, the switching member 340 is
pressed downwardly and thus the elastic member 320 is elastically
compressed. By doing so, as the elastic compression amount of the
elastic member 320 is increased, the pedal arm 200 rotates and thus
the force pushing the protrusion 220 is increased, such that the
operating force is increased more, thereby more reducing the pedal
effort.
However, when the position of the bolting part 142 is controlled
upwardly in the pedal member 100, the switching member 340 moves
upwardly and thus the elastically compression of the elastic member
320 is reduced. As a result, as the pedal arm 200 rotates, the
operating force which allows the elastic member 320 to push the
protrusion 220 is reduced, and thus reduction of pedal effort may
be reduced.
As such, the height of the bolting part 142 of the height
controller 140 is controlled in consideration of a driver's habit,
pedal effort, and the like depending on pedal operation by the
driver and thus reduction of pedal effort may be controlled. The
height controller 140 is configured of the bolting part 142 and the
nut part 144, and thus pedal effort may be easily controlled.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the lower end of the bolting
part 142 is coupled with a pin member 142a which extends
horizontally and thus may surface-contact the bent portion of the
switching member 340.
By doing so, the lower end of the bolting part 142 contacts the
switching member 340 of the pedal effort controller 300 through the
pin-shaped pin member 142a which extends horizontally. As a result,
the bolting part 142 surface-contacts the pedal effort controller
300 when the bolting part 142 contacts the pedal effort controller
300, such that damage to the bolting part 142 due to abrasion may
be minimized. More preferably, the lower end of the bolting part
142 is applied with a rolling bearing and thus damage of the
bolting part 142 due to abrasion is prevented, such that the
bolting part 142 may be continuously used for a long period of
time.
Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the insertion groove 160 of
the pedal member 100 is formed to extend forwardly and thus the
height control means 140 may be configured to be separated
forwardly.
Further, the hinge shaft 120 of the pedal arm 200 may be provided
with an elastic body 240 which has one end fixed to the pedal
member 100 and the other end connected to the back end of the pedal
arm 200 to impart elastic force so as to let the pedal arm 200
rotate forwardly.
This protects a driver's lower body from injury at a time of
vehicle collision. Here, the insertion groove 160 of the pedal
member 100 is formed to extend forwardly, and thus the height
controller 140 may be separated through the insertion groove 160 at
a time of vehicle collision, and thus the lower end of the pedal
arm 200 rotates forwardly.
In addition, the pedal arm 200 is provided with the elastic body
240 and thus the lower end of the pedal arm 200 is imparted with
the elastic force to head toward the front, such that driver injury
due to the pedal arm 200 may be prevented.
Describing this now in detail, vehicle body panel 10 is configured
of a dash panel 12 and a cowl panel 14 positioned thereon, the
pedal member 100 is installed at the dash panel 12 in the vehicle
body panel 10, and the height controller 140 is installed at the
cowl panel 14 to be coupled with the insertion groove 160 of the
pedal member 100.
Here, the vehicle body panel 10 is pushed backwards at the time of
vehicle collision, and thus the pedal member 100 moves backwards.
Generally, when a front collision of the vehicle occurs, the dash
panel 12 in the vehicle body panel 10 has a larger pushing force
than the cowl panel 14 positioned thereon, and therefore the pedal
member 100 installed at the dash panel 12 is pushed backwards. In
this case, when the height controller 140 is separated through the
insertion groove 160 of the pedal member 100 in a state in which
the height controller 140 installed at the cowl panel 14 supports
the pedal effort controller 300, the pedal effort controller 300
moves upwardly in a region in which the height controller 140 is
separated to remove the returning force applied to the pedal arm
200.
Additionally, since the elastic body 240 which is installed at the
hinge shaft 120 of the pedal arm 200 imparts elastic force to let
the lower end of the pedal arm 200 rotate forwardly, the pedal
effort controller 300 moves to an empty region in which the height
controller 140 is separated, and at the same time, the lower end of
the pedal arm 200 rotates forwardly due to the elastic force of the
elastic body 240. As a result, it is possible to prevent pain to
the driver's foot due to the pedal arm 200.
The pedal illustrated in the drawings is the clutch pedal.
Generally, in a clutch pedal, the pedal arm 200 is connected to a
CMC, and a clutch hydraulic system is fractured at the time of
vehicle collision. Thus, the force that would push the pedal
backwardly through the CMC is removed, such that the lower end of
the pedal arm 200 may smoothly rotate.
According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention,
the pedal operating apparatus of a vehicle having the foregoing
structure reduces the pedal effort when he/she operates the pedal
to reduce the driver's fatigue against pedal operation of the
driver. By doing so, it is possible to reduce driver's fatigue
during long time driving by reducing pedal effort, and save
manufacturing costs by simplifying structure.
Further, it is possible to prevent pain to a driver's lower body by
letting the pedal arm 200 rotate forwardly at the time of a vehicle
collision.
Although the present invention has been shown and described with
respect to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be obvious to
those skilled in the art that the present invention may be
variously modified and altered without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present invention as defined by the following
claims.
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